The Meaning of Flowers
by Eaglesgirl
Summary: Draco and Pansy are thrust into a school research project with Harry and Hermione. Eventually DMHG. Not HBPDH compatible.
1. The Project

Chapter 1

The Project

It was two months into the school year and Draco was bored. Being seventh years, his classes seemed to just resume from the end of the last school year. Reviewing things learned in their previous year ended by their third week of classes, and sometimes quicker. Professor McGonagall had only allotted half of their first class to reviewing.

The teachers seemed excited about something. It was probably another plot that Dumbledore came up with for house unity. It wouldn't work of course. Draco wondered why no one saw the Headmaster for the old coot he was.

Draco was half way through his potions homework, but he pushed it aside anyway. He had learned to brew the potion he was writing about the summer after second year; this essay would be easy.

Draco decided that he would head up to the Great Hall for dinner. If he got there before the rest of the Slytherins, he could eat his fill then get out before the table got too crowded.

Draco walked absentmindedly through the twists and turns leading from the Slytherin common room to the stairs to the ground floor. He let his mind wander to his mother and father. His mother had looked much more drawn this summer than she usually did. He noticed her to be quiet and easily frightened as well. His father seemed thinner and (if possible) paler than usual. No doubt it had to do with Voldemort of course.

Contrary to popular belief, Draco was not a death eater. His father was, but was only serving Voldemort for fear of his family being killed.

Now on the ground level, Draco entered the Great Hall and sat down at the Slytherin table. The food had not yet appeared. He glanced about the room. Nearly seventy-five percent of the ever-eager Hufflepuff house was seated along their table already. No more than ten Ravenclaws of varying years were seated along their table with books or parchment and a quill. The Gryffindor table had groups scattered about including Potter, Granger, and the last two of the Weasley brood.

Draco was one of three at his table, the other two being first year boys from his house. Pansy walked in quite distracted by a letter in her hand. She walked over to the table without looking up and didn't notice Draco's presence until he reached out and grabbed her arm as she walked by.

"Who's it from?"

"My mum." Pansy said as she took a seat next to Draco. "My dad still isn't doing well. You-know-who isn't hearing it though. He says that my father and mother are just making excuses. If my father isn't at the meeting tonight, you-know-who said he'd take matters into his own hands. Mum told me not to go outside except for class until this is all resolved."

"This is getting out of hand. Some days I almost consider joining up with Potter." Draco admitted seriously. It was true, just a week before he walked half way to the Quidditich pitch where Harry was practicing before convincing himself that he didn't have enough evidence of his family's plight to convince Potter of his sincerity.

Draco and Pansy weren't the only ones having troubles. Nearly half of Slytherin's students were faced with similar ones. Voldemort killed Blaise's cousin when Mr. Zabini failed to launch an attack on a muggle city. Goyle and Crabbe had both been threatened and their families had been tortured for botched killings on their fathers' parts.

Pansy looked close to tears. Draco grabbed her hand under the table just as the food appeared. "Don't let them see you cry. You-know-who still has supporters here."

Pansy nodded and let go of Draco's hand. She steeled her face and forced a scowl onto it. She silently started shoveling food onto her plate as Draco did the same next to her.

They both ate slowly in silence. After a few minutes, Draco saw that the table had significantly filled up and Blaise sat on the other side of him while the other seventh year Slytherin girls filled in on the other side.

The food disappeared off the plates, but instead of treats and sweets filling their places, nothing came. A roar of outrage sounded from the vicinity of the Gryffindor table, or more particularly, near the golden trio and little Weasley. Snape stood from the half empty teacher's table and stood to address students. He looked annoyed.

"Sit down Weasley." Came Snape's voice clearly over the crowd. "You can stuff your face when I'm finished. The Headmaster has put me to the task of informing the seventh years of their new project. You will each be receiving a package in the morning and you'll receive further instructions when you finish breakfast. Your first and second class of the day will be canceled but I except to receive all of your essays at breakfast or you will receive no credit."

Snape stalked off again back to his seat and reached for a slice of the apple pie that had just appeared before his place.

Draco grabbed a handful of bat shaped cookies. He didn't feel like eating them, but he probably would later in the night.

"Draco, let's go back to the common room," came Pansy's voice. Draco and Pansy got up and started toward the door. Blaise gave a nod that said that he'd be down a minute behind them, so as not to arouse suspicion from Voldemort's supporters.

* * *

The next morning saw Draco and his friends in the same seats. Draco and the others had spent the remainder of the previous night finishing their Potions Essays before going to bed.

They were half way through eating when the post came. Draco received his _Daily Prophet_ and a letter from his mother assuring him all was well (though he well knew it wasn't). About five minutes after, another group of owls came swooping in carrying boxes. Some boxes were thin and rectangular while others were shaped like cylinders.

A large brown barn owl dropped a package to Pansy. The box was rectangular, thin, and just slightly shorter that of a rapier's case. Draco's, dropped by a similar owl, was just shorter than Pansy's box, about four times as wide, and almost pancake flat. Blaise looked disappointed. His box was a perfect cube, and a rather small one at that.

Dumbledore stood and addressed the students. "Seventh years, if you would be so kind, please take your boxes and follow me to the library. Everyone else, you have classes to attend."

* * *

The seventh years were not pleased with the seating arrangements. Of Draco and Pansy, this was particularly true. Dumbledore had put the two at a table with none other than Granger and Potter.

"Now that we're all settled, you may open your boxes." Draco and Pansy eagerly dug into the brown paper packaging as Potter and Granger did the same across the table.

"Flowers?" Asked Granger's voice.

"I got a bunch of leaves!" Draco responded holding up his plant.

"That's a fern Draco." Pansy responded absently while examining her flower. It had a long dainty green stem and light pink petals around a yellow center, which was almost flowerlike in itself.

Hermione was showing Harry her flower. "Isn't it gorgeous?" She asked him.

"Yeah." Harry responded looking unsure. "What exactly is it?"

"That's an Almond Blossom." Pansy said glancing at the flower. "When we went on holiday when I was younger, there was an Almond Blossom tree in the yard. I used to sit under it instead of staying in the house." She added by way of explanation.

"Do you know what mine is?" Harry asked the two girls. He held up large cluster of small white flowers.

"No." Hermione said.

"I've never seen them before." Pansy said, suddenly interested in Harry's flowers.

"Why does everyone have flowers… and why did I get a fern?" Draco asked sounding slightly hysterical.

Dumbledore chose this point to speak up again. "If you would be so kind, please place your plant life in the vases that have been provided for you." Everyone complied, putting their vegetation in the glass vases set up in the middle of their groups. "Good. Now, this is your project. I need you all to learn the name of your plant, as I know some of you already have. Then learn everything you can about it. There is a reason why each of you received the plant you did, but that will wait until another time."

"Each group will be working together." Dumbledore paused to allow the groans of the students. "Each group will also be assigned a teacher to monitor their progress. You will be expected to meet as a full group at least an hour everyday. You, of course, can a lot extra time to your study as well, be it individual up to the full group. I'm afraid that with such a large group it is quite impossible for any of you to take out the books, so they must all stay in the library."

"Won't the flowers die?" Hannah Abbot asked at the table next to Draco's. "There isn't any water in the vases."

"No, they have a charm on them that will allow them to live… for a time. The charm will probably wear off eventually, but we will talk about that when the time comes." Dumbledore responded.

Dumbledore then proceeded to circle the room telling each group when their meeting times were and who their teacher was. Draco's table was the fifth he came to.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Granger, Ms. Parkinson." Dumbledore said coming up to their table. "You four all have free periods right after lunch, do you not?" They all nodded the affirmative. "Very good. That is when you will be meeting. You do not have to meet over weekends however. Your teacher will be Professor Snape." Pansy and Draco were quite excited, but Potter and Granger both turned pale and looked rather sulky. "Any questions?"

"Why did I get a fern? It's not even a flower." Draco said.

"All in due time Mr. Malfoy. And count your blessings; Ms. Turpin from Ravenclaw got wheat."

* * *


	2. The First Step

I apologize for the long wait. I just finished school yesterday and it will be crazy until I graduate next Tuesday, but after that, I should have more time. To add to that, I keep getting sidetracked by NCIS fanfictions...

I'm going to try to update this fanfiction a few times this summer (along with updates for some of my other stories), but I promise nothing...

With that being said, here's the story.

For the fourth time that day, Draco was in a dusty dark alley in the library looking for a book on exotic plants. Pansy was convinced her plant was exotic.

It was Friday, the third day of the project.

Draco had promised to help Pansy search for her plant's identity, and had been doing so everyday after lunch. Draco decided that if they didn't find Pansy's plant today, he was going to spend sometime that night after dinner and over the weekend searching for more information about the fern.

Draco scanned the books on the shelves one more time before walking back to the table empty handed.

"We've searched every page of every book on that shelf. Maybe someone else has the book we're looking for." Draco said.

"Oh, I'm doomed! I'll never find out what my plant is." Pansy said through gritted teeth. She was frustrated to say the least.

"Harry, you can't just give up. This is a grade!" Granger's voice said accompanied by two sets of footsteps.

"There are sixty-seven books on wildflowers, Hermione. Sixty-seven books!" Harry said sitting down across from Pansy.

"Well, we'll have to take the books one at a time." Hermione told him calmly placing a book on the table in front of him. Harry's response was to rhythmically thump his head against the book.

"I think I'll try a book on North American flowers." Pansy said as she led Draco back to the rack on vegetation.

"Is anyone but you and Potter having such a hard time finding this stuff?" Draco asked.

"The majority of the Ravenclaws are still lost." Pansy responded.

"The smart ones."

"Most people don't go and research flowers in their spare time, Draco." Pansy chided.

"Except for you, Pansy. Not even Granger researches flowers."

"You try this one, I'll take this one." Pansy said handing Draco a rather thick book as they started back to the table.

--

Draco would have to pack up to go to class in ten minutes, but he just wanted to finish the section on plants found in Canada. He only had twenty flowers to go.

Draco passed the Bloodroot, Fireweed, and White Trillium before coming across a picture he recognized. Draco looked up just to make sure.

Yes, that was definitely the same plant.

"Potter. You're looking in the wrong book." Draco said before turning the book for Harry to see.

"Elderberry Blossom." Hermione read. "It says that the berries are sometimes used to make wine or jam."

Draco had taken Pansy's book as she looked over the information on Potter's plant. He flipped a few pages absently. One page caught his eye and he flipped back.

"Pansy! I found it!" Draco said. "Your flower! It's Columbine!"

Pansy's attention was immediately on the book between her and Draco. "Genus name: Aquilegia… sixty to seventy different species…"

"It's seeds and roots are poisionous…" Draco put in.

Pansy sent him a dirty look. "It tends to grow in higher altitudes."

"Pans… we need to get to class." Draco said grabbing his things.

"But I want to find out…" She started.

"We'll come tonight. I need to do some research too." Draco said. Pansy gave up and closed the book. Pansy and Draco headed toward Charms while Potter and Granger went toward Care of Magical Creatures.

--

Draco's group had met with Professor Snape just after dinner to inform him that they had all learned their flower's name. He had sent the three directly to the Headmaster's office. They sat in front of the desk now with the portraits jabbering on above them.

Dumbledore came in and smiled at the students. "Professor Snape tells me that you've completed your first step." He said. "Now, the plants are quite lovely, but we didn't give them to you so you could learn how to grow them. I want you to all learn what meaning your plant has and how it relates to you."

"Why?" Potter asked.

"Each plant was chosen specifically for each person. For some, the plant represents some aspect or aspects of that person's personality, which they or others fail to recognize. For others, it is a warning. The purpose is to have you recognize something about yourself and make yourself better." Dumbledore explained.

"Why do this now, Professor?" Granger asked.

"It's important now. Wars change people, Miss Granger. You all are now in a war both outside and in. Voldemort versus us, Slytherin versus Gryffindor, even parts of your personalities are fighting for dominance. It's important to learn who you are so that you can fight the outside wars or make peace." Dumbledore turned to Pansy. "Ms. Parkinson, how is your father doing."

Pansy looked to Draco for help who nodded his head in response. Pansy took a deep breath. "Not too well sir." She said quietly.

Dumbledore nodded knowingly and looked at Draco. "How is your mother?"

"She claims to be fine." Draco said.

"You don't sound like you believe her." Dumbledore said.

"I don't." Draco said.

Potter and Granger both looked at the Slytherins suspiciously before Dumbledore excused all four.

Draco and Pansy headed toward the library in hopes of finding something interesting on their plants.

"What kind of book do you look in for the meaning of a flower?" Draco asked as they scanned the aisles.

Pansy shrugged. "I guess I should start with the book I found my flower in. Maybe it will tell us something." Pansy took the book off the shelf and headed toward their table. Draco shrugged and pulled down a similar book before joining her.

--

After several hours, the books had yielded no relevant information. Draco was about to suggest that they turn in for the night when Pansy's eyes lit up.

"I have an idea. I'll be right back." She said. A few minutes later, Pansy came back with a book in hand. _How to Plan Your Magical Wedding_.

Draco raised his eyebrows in question. "When you get married, flowers and colours have different meanings." She explained. "It's worth a try."

"Alright. Let's see what it says." Draco agreed.

Pansy opened the book and looked up 'fern'.

"What does it say?" Draco asked.

"It means 'sincerity'." Pansy smiled. "I think that fits you."

"I don't. Look at how I've treated Granger and Potter for the past couple of years. That wasn't very sincere." Draco said.

"No, I suppose not. But you're different around your friends and family." Pansy said. "Anyway, I think we'll have to look in other books too; this can't be the only meaning."

"What does yours say?" Draco asked.

Pansy flipped a few pages. "Here's Elderberry! Let's see. It says 'Humility and Kindness'." Pansy kept going before stopping again. "And Almond Blossom means 'Watchfulness'. I thing those both fit Harry and Hermione."

"Wait a minute. Harry and Hermione? When did you start calling Potter and Granger by their first names?" Draco teased.

"Haven't you noticed that they haven't picked any fights with us. There's been no name calling. They've been awfully nice and helpful too." She said.

"But still…" Draco started.

"Draco. I think we should tell them what's going on. If we gave them information, they could help protect our families." Pansy said.

"What makes you think that Potter will believe us?" Draco said. "I need to be able to prove to them that my family isn't what they think it is. I can't do that. If we tell Potter, our families might be in even greater danger than they are now."

"Well, I'm going to ask for help. I would just like to know that my best friend will be there with me so he can help his family too."

"Alright, but we need to think about what we'll say. And we tell no one. We have to be careful with who we trust."

"Alright." Pansy smiled and went back to the book. She went forward a few more pages before she stopped and frowned.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked.

"My flower. It means 'Deserted Love'."


End file.
